#ICYMI: September 2019 Real Estate News

By Jessie Trapp, Marketing Coordinator & Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager

In case you hadn’t noticed by all of the pumpkins and Halloween decorations that suddenly appeared under the cover of darkness… it is officially fall! Three cheers for all of the pumpkin flavored everything we’re going to eat and drink over the next few months and for the fact that we no longer need to be concerned over being seen in our bathing suits. Really, what’s not to like about sweater weather?

Like the pumpkin spiced latte you’re holding in your hand, things have become a little hot in our industry and not in a good way. News of exits, lawsuits, and bad news seem to have poured in over the past month and, in case you missed it, here are those top five September 2019 real estate news stories to know:

1. Maëlle Gavet and Jason Post set to leave Compass

So, good news and bad news. Bad news is that Inman announced that Compass’ COO, Maëlle Gavet, and VP of Communications, Jason Post, are leaving the company. Post is leaving after nine months to go to Google and Gavet is leaving after almost two years, although we’re not sure where she’ll land.

The good news is that after researching Maëlle we’ve decided she’s the absolute bee’s knees and as women in tech writing this article, let us just say, we are BIG fans!

2. CAR hosted their REimagine! event in LA

CAR (California Association of REALTORS®) recently held their REimagine! event in the city of angels. For those that don’t know about this insanely awesome event, here’s the lowdown:

“REimagine! Los Angeles is where learning takes center stage, insta-worthy experiences are around every corner, and networking magic happens inside and outside the conference doors. Collaborate, get empowered, and dare to be bold with industry leaders who are ready to push you out of your comfort zone. It’s time to take it to the next level.”

We had a great time at this event, and none other than our superstar VP of Business Development and Product Evangelism, Georgia Perez, spoke at it! Check out more on that here.

3. RISMedia CEO Exchange: all about rehumanizing technology

Our friends over at RISMedia held their annual CEO Exchange, which we are always honored to be a part of. This year’s theme was all about rehumanizing data and technology in our industry. While other industries have gone the way of automation, and while our industry is always trying to progress and become more productive, we by no means have to dehumanize ourselves in the process. We imagine we’ll be seeing this topic quite a bit more in the coming weeks, months, and even years.

For those of you interested in this topic, this short article is well worth the read.

4. Wayfair stepping up home furnishing model

Well, this one is exciting for anyone and everyone who hates having to design the interior of their living spaces, or just hates having decision fatigue altogether. According to Inman, “Wayfair announced Wednesday that it has begun selling curated collections of furnishings for entire rooms, which the company believes will appeal to everyone from property managers to short-term rental owners.” And for anyone wondering, this isn’t confined to homes, they also have curated sets for dog parks.

Wayfair, you the real MVP.

5. IBM sues Zillow

To keep this one super short and sweet, here’s what you need to know via Inman: “IBM is suing real estate tech giant Zillow over seven charges of patent infringement related to a host of computer processes that Zillow uses to run its website. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that Zillow essentially built its business on the back of IBM’s inventions.”

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for another #ICYMI in October!

P.S. Speaking of women in tech, have a listen to our brand-new podcast episode featuring the amazing ladies of WomenUP! via REAL with MoxiWorks! This one is definitely worth listening to from beginning to the very, very end!